What to Look for in a Sports Bra

When it comes to taking care of your girls, it's important to pick a sports bra that helps you fight the bounce to reduce discomfort and long-term sagging. Breasts are held up by the surrounding skin and a web of springy coils known as Cooper's ligaments. With time, these ligaments no longer help your breasts rebound as nicely as you'd like due to jumping, gravity and genetics. To maximize comfort and minimize this unattractive drooping effect, check out these basic guidelines for choosing a sports bra so you can confidently make the right decision, and then head over to Dick's Sporting Goods online to check out a huge selection of styles available this season!

1. Are you A or B in cup size? If so, look for compression-style bras. Compression styles are typically simple shelf bras that don't have a separate chamber for each breast. Nike Women's Pro Core Printed Sports Bra is a fantastic compression-style bra with an eye-popping print that shows off your sporty style underneath tanks. If you are C or larger, try to look for encapsulation-style bras that encapsulate each breast in a separate cup to reduce bounce and give more support to your breasts. Reebok Women's Studio Cloud Short Bra has removable cups which allows you to customize your support.

4. Keep in mind the type of activity you will be wearing the sports bra for. Many sports bras on Dick's Sporting Goods are labeled as high-impact support, medium-impact support or low-impact support. High-impact sports include running, basketball and aerobics. Medium-impact activities include tennis, cycling and soccer. Lower-impact activities include walking, pilates and yoga. When in doubt, choose a higher-impact bra for a lower-impact sport and never the other way around.
Now that you're a sports-bra-buying expert, head over to Dick's Sporting Goods to check out a variety of bras that will fit your specific needs. The 2014 Video Lookbook from Dick's Sporting Goods also takes the guesswork out of finding the right bra based on your choice of sport here.